Hunted
by XLittleMadamX
Summary: Naruto is a fox hybrid, the result of a military research project, to create the perfect soldier.A hunted man,he expects to spend the rest of his life alone, but an encounter with a certain man brings him hope for a future.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: The Characters of Naruto does not belong to yours truly.

Hunted

Prologue

"_Those Bastards._"

Naruto growled angrily as he watched the horrid display through the glass wall of his cell. A young dark-haired boy of sixteen was being dragged along by two men dressed in black.

They must have withheld his drugs to make sure he felt every stroke of the lash. A third guard came ruuning, then a fourth, together dragging the poor boy to the bench kicking and screaming. Naruto could not hear them, the transparency of the cell wall gave the illusion of freedom but the barrier was soundproof. Finally the guards forced the young boy to his knees so his chest lay across the whipping bench and restrained him.

Kabuto, the commander of the guards, stepped up with a long cane in his right hand. He flexed it as he spoke to the victim, making him wait. It was all a show, as much about psychological torture as physical. The humiliation hurt as much as the flesh wounds.

Suddenly, Kabuto brought the cane down and made contact with the victim's buttocks. The young boy fought the restraints but there was no escape. Naruto could imagine the whistling sound of the cane as it sliced through the air, finally landing on the bruised flesh, He didn't need to hear the screaming and pleading of the victim, it echoed in his memory. He'd been the recipient of Kabuto's expertise more than once.

Finally after about 15 minutes, Kabuto stepped back and let the cane fall by his side. He glanced around the room, his expression a warning. Disobey and this is your fate. Refusing to back down, Naruto pressed his palms against the thick glass that separated him from the rest of the laboratory and bared his teeth.

Kabuto's mouth took on an unpleasant twist and his expression turned more resentful. Naruto's brash attitude always brought him more punishment than the others, but he didn't care anymore. He'd already been beaten countless times,

_what more can they do to him?_

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to all the reviews, favs and alerts, even though it was just a short prologue. You guys are awesome! I am currently swamped with assignments so it will take awhile till my next update but I promise I won't keep you guys waiting long. Write me any comments or suggestions. Feedback keeps the chapters coming~

* * *

**/ HUNTED /**

**By XLittleMadamX**

**CHAPTER ONE**

The nameless brunette was now lying motionless, his white flesh a mass of raw, bloodied meat, his long black hair matted to his face by tears and sweat. He hung limply as the guards lifted him from the bench. Each guard took and arm and he stumbled between them.

Locked away in his cell, the youth's physical wounds would heal quickly, but the emotional ones would grow and fester.

Everyone returned to work as if nothing happened. The laboratory once again become a swarming beehive of activity. Men in white coats, their heads bent over test tubes and computers, mad scientists playing with anatomical models and rats dying in cages.

A small voice whispered in his head. _Lab rats, like you_.

No. Not like him. He was a man, not some failed experiment that could be discarded like biohazard waste.

He'd seen enough of this house of horrors to last a lifetime, and watching his jailers moving about freely while he was confined to a space twelve feet by twelve feet was far worse than any beating he'd had. His existence was as silent, and cold, as the frozen tundra he'd seen in his geography lessons.

The only furnishings in his isolation cell were a narrow iron bed, a sink, a toilet and a monitor on the wall.

No sounds penetrated his prison, except what _they_ wanted him to hear, transmissions on a monitor and lessons designed to educate him about a world he cannot see.

The glass wall and fancy surveillance equipment allowed the scientists, guards and trainers to study his every move, and the moves of others, the ones he saw when the guards took him out of his cell for training or exercise.

The sight of others made him cringe, because he knew he looked just like them. They were all caged animals, stripped of clothes, dignity and hope, vulnerable and impotent behind glass, their cells lining the long wall of the immense laboratory.

Complaint lab rats, never knowing anything but confinement, happy with a pat on the head or a special treat at mealtime. Their only value was as tools of the government.

_I might look like them, but I'm not like them. _

He hadn't always lived here. Once he had a different life, and a mother who cared for him.

Twenty-three years ago, Dr. Minato, his father, was a young military scientist doing research into mixing genes from different species, genetic engineering at its worst. His father tampered with blue-prints of human bodies, his ultimate goal to create the perfect soldier. When his wife gave birth to a boy, he experimented on the infant to see if the human body could be unnaturally manipulated.

Naruto barely remembered his mother, just the image of a woman with kind eyes who tucked him in at night and sang to him. When she died, Naruto's father brought him to his new home at the laboratory to be raised. Naruto was the first and only one of his father's new army to be raised as a human child.

The _others_, sired by anonymous sperm donors and born of nameless women, were raised in the laboratory from birth.

Sometimes, Naruto thought they were better off than he. Being the doctor's offspring did not make his life any better. Naruto came to look forward to his father's rare visits, filled with excitement and the hope that his father would take him home.

Instead, the doctor would check the progress of his studies and order more tests. More than anything, Naruto wanted his father's acceptance.

A clever boy, Naruto quickly realized his father was playing God, tampering with the DNA of animals and humans to create perfect assassins for the military, crossbreeding to spawn hybrids meant to serve, protect, and above all, obey.

Striving to be perfect, Naruto hoped he would find the way to his father's heart. The doctor's indifference only made him try harder to win the man's approval. A long as Naruto gave his father doglike obedience, he was treated relatively well.

But along the way, something went wrong.

Adolescence, the period of transition between childhood and adulthood, brought predictable changes. Naruto grew tall, strong and sexual.

A trainer, armed with the ever present stun gun, came in his cell one day and caught him masturbating. Naruto was on the man before he could raise his weapon.

Shifting in midair, he pounced. Two huge paws landed against the trainer's chest, pinning him to the floor. Baring his canines, Naruto had lowered his muzzle, dripping saliva on the terrified man's face.

Naruto didn't know who was more surprised at his transformation to a large fox. He didn't have time to think about it. A tranquilizer dart stopped him cold. He woke in human-skin and the guards dragged him out of the cell for punishment.

Naruto learned that the others displayed the same unique ability to shift into the animal whose DNA has been spliced with theirs.

Animal training was added to Naruto's regimen and although he tried to obey, he couldn't always control his shifts.

His father decided that conditioning had been started too late, and he kept his volatile creations under control with beatings and drugs, ensuring they wouldn't cause trouble while he studied them.

He never considered any of them human, but now they weren't good enough to be soldiers. Naruto had fallen short of his father's standards and he would never get the approval he craved. It was only a matter of time until the doctor decided his unstable creations were of no further use.

Although Naruto was a six-foot-five pillar of muscle, escape was out of the question. They guarded him too closely and his fangs and claws were useless, kept under tight control by the drugs they fed him. He almost wished they would terminate him and get it over with.

Pacing his cell like a caged animal always brought unwanted attention, but he couldn't help it. The drugs weakened his body, but his mind still worked perfectly and it upset him to see how badly the brunette boy had been hurt.

A technician held a wire basket containing his meds, Kabuto gripped an electroshock weapon. The third man, tall and gaunt in a white coat, the angles of his face in the artificial light, was Naruto's father.

The glass at the edge of his cell slid open and Naruto stomped towards it, fists clenched and nostrils flaring. He knew what would happen next but he couldn't stop himself.

The projectile, a barbed dart, containing a small high voltage battery, sent pain coursing through his body. Momentarily paralyzed, and rubber legged, his muscles started twitching when he hit the floor. Strong hands grabbed him under the arms and dragged him to his bed.

Naruto lay there growling softly, but helpless with the gun pointed at his chest ready to discharge again. He shut his eyes, letting the effects of the electroshock dissipate.

The familier smells of formaldehyde and alcohol wafted through the open doorway. His brow furrowed at the underlying odor of rotten eggs, faint but easily detected by his ultra-sensitive nose.

When he opened his eyes, his father was staring down at him. "Father.."

"Punishment doesn't seem to work with you." The man's icy glare froze him to the core.

"You're stubborn, and can't control your feral instincts. This makes you dangerous." Not an ounce of caring showed on the doctor's face. "I take full responsibility for the failure and for the remedy. Take comfort in the fact that you were helpful in paving the way for future creations. They will be far superior."

The blood left Naruto's cheeks. He'd expected this, but it hurt the words from his father's mouth.

"This pains me greatly, Naruto. Admitting failure is never easy." Brushing back a lock of yellow hair falling over his brow, he nodded at the guards and turned away.

Rage flowed through Naruto's veins like molten lava and bolted up. "You bastard. What gives you the right to play God? Why should we die for your mistakes?"

"I'm on the brink of a major advance in medical science. There's always a risk of collateral damage during research."

The doctor left the cell and Kabuto shoved him down and aimed the gun at his chest, while another attached a needle to a syringe. He injected it into a small vial and an unfamiliar blue liquid filled the barrel. He reached in the basket for an alcohol swipe-

And all hell broke loose. A flash of light. A muffled boom.

Kabuto, horror etched on his face, rushed out the cell yelling orders.

A fireball burst off to one side of the lab and took on a life of its own, swelling with heat and power. A mass of flames set off another series of deafening explosions that drowned out the sound of alarms.

A brilliant display of fireworks set off the sprinklers, but they barely helped.

**Pandemonium reigned.**

* * *

TBC


	3. Chapter 1 continue

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's Note: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. It's the continuation for Chapter One. I will upload Chapter 2 in a few days. And Thank you everyone for your Favs, Alerts and Reviews. I love you guys!

* * *

/ HUNTED /

By XLittleMadamX

**Chapter 1.1**

Everything unfolded in a matter of seconds, yet it felt like an eternity.

Hypnotized by the raw power and beauty of the firestorm, Naruto considered staying put and letting the fire finish what his jailers started but ultimately he decided that waiting for death was a coward's way out.

Fate gave him a chance to escape. Why not take it and die fighting?

He glanced around, for what he hoped was the last time, at the barren walls that had housed him most of his life. There was nothing personal to take with him, not even a picture of his mother.

Naked, Naruto turned his back on his past and walked through the doorway.

Fire was everywhere. The heat was oppressive and the smoke much thicker outside his cell. Flames licked the walls, equipment smoked, shattered vials, their contents hopelessly contaminated, littered the floor.

The fumes burned his nose. Screaming men in white coats ran for the exits, trying to save themselves, not giving a damn about the more seriously injured. _Cowards._

Naruto looked at the chaos, hoping his father's work had been destroyed forever, but knowing the data must be backed up off-site.

Pushing through the dense black smoke, Naruto looked for the others, the ones like him. The cell doors had all opened automatically and most were empty.

As he passed the cells, he spotted Gaara and screamed for him to get out. The guy ignored him, and Naruto, realizing his mistake, gripped Gaara's arm, and pulled him toward the door.

Pressed in on all sides. Naruto let the surging crowd push them towards the exit. No one seemed to notice them. They were all focused on reaching the door, clawing at each other to get to safety. Somewhere along the way he lost his grip on his friend and he looked around wildly but couldn't find him. The blonde stifled a curse and forced himself to move on, hoping Gaara's courageous spirit would help him escape.

Carried through the doorway, he found himself in a wide hall filled with gray clouds of smoke. His luck was still holding, no one stopped him in all the confusion.

He opened door after door until he found a supply closet with scrub suits and white coats. Dressing quickly, he looked for a window. There were none. He would have to use the fire stairwell.

Smoke filled the upper floor as well. Both soldiers and men in white coats were abandoning the fire extinguishers as the flames raged out of control. Heat had shattered glass in every window and Naruto ran for the closest one.

A breath of cool night air funneled in and a glimpse of moon and stars beckoned him.

He heard loud footsteps behind him and someone shouting _stop_.

Smoke obscured his vision; he couldn't tell if he'd been spotted, but this was it, he'd never get a second chance. A rush of adrenaline gave him added strength. He grabbed the sill and prepared to pull himself up.

A black suited guard ran wildly out of the smoke, a weapon in his hand. "STOP!"

_No! _Fury took Naruto like never before. He was ready to die, but not like this, not when he was so close to freedom. He let his emotions fan the smoldering hurt inside until it was a raging inferno.

Intense pressure squeezed his body and his tendons reacted painfully. Bulging muscles tore his clothing until the garments hung in tatters. Limbs contorting, he dropped to all fours, shuddering as the orange-red fur raced up his body.

His face lengthened into a muzzle, and he could taste blood as sharp fangs burst from his gums. His nails grew into heavy claws, deadly weapons that could rip the guards into shreds. The man drew back in horror, and Naruto leaped, taking him to the floor.

"_Oh, my god!" _ The gun flew from the guard's hand and clattered on the tiles. The coward shut his eyes tight and turned his head, but Naruto caught himself.

_I'm not a savage beast. I won't prove them right._

He turned away with a snarl and leaped through the window. Cold air poured over him for the first time in twenty years.

He ran like the wind and never looked back.

* * *

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto._

_Pairing:** NaruSasu** (I apologise for not stating this earlier. And I hope you guys aren't too turned off by Naru being the seme. I am still thinking of writing a SASUNARU fic in the future though. But for now this story's pairing is as stated)_

* * *

**/ HUNTED /**

By XLittleMadamX

**Chapter 2**

_Six months later_

Naruto adjusted his goggles, picked up a sledgehammer and checked to make sure the area was clear. Swinging the eight-pound weight felt good. Every time the hammer came down on one of the wedges he'd inserted in the rock, he imagined himself pounding on one of the guards from the laboratory.

He'd never pictured himself a quarryman, but he could do worse. The work was hard but it kept him in shape, and working outside after spending most of his life in captivity appealed to him. An added plus, his boss was a standup guy who didn't ask a lot of questions.

Masaki Teuchi ran a small operation and for the most part he worked alone. Heavy equipment made the job easier, but if he got a big order, he'd hire part-time help. Naruto had come along the right time. His strength and enthusiasm won Teuchi over and earned him a chance to learn a trade.

The quarry owner paid him a small stipend and allowed him to stay in a rundown old shack in the property; an "independent contractor" arrangement saved Teuchi the paperwork and kept Naruto from needing ID that he didn't possess.

Naruto took of his goggles and sat on his heels to inspect his handiwork. He'd chiseled something from the earth that took millions of years to create. It was a sobering thought, and one that made his problems seem smaller in the grand scheme of things. Pleased with the thin, flat rocks, he wiped sweat from his brow and stood. It took skill to split the rock smoothly without shattering it, and he took pride in his work.

Naruto didn't own a watch; he judged time by the position of the sun. He saw Teuchi climbing down from the backhoe excavator, but he knew it wasn't quitting time yet. Figuring his boss might have a problem with the equipment, he walked over. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. It looks like I have customers." Teuchi jerked his head up toward the building that served as plant and office. A plain black sedan was just pulling up to the door. "Or it could be the state inspectors. They're supposed to make surprise routine inspections every year, but they haven't been around for a while. Today might be the day."

Two men in black suits got out of the car. Something about them didn't look right and Naruto's fight or flight reflex went into high alert.

"I'm going up to meet them." Teuchi told him. "I'll try and keep them out of the pit. Should be easy. It doesn't look like they'll want to get their shoes dirty."

Naruto nodded, but inside his guts were churning. Teuchi might think his only problem was hiring an undocumented worker, but Naruto's instincts told him these men were not from the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources. As much as he hated leaving Teuchi without a word of explanation, he had no other choice. Naruto waited until the men walked inside the building, then he scrambled up the pit and took off.

* * *

Sasuke took a seat on his favorite park bench and watched the silver-haired man hunched at the other end tossing bread crumbs to the eager pigeons at his feet. He pulled out his journal and a rogue breeze dotted the lined paper with water spray from the fountain. He rubbed it dry with his arm and searched his pocket for a pen.

A gloved hand thrust an old ballpoint pen under his nose. He tilted his head and caught the old man's eye, realizing with a shock, the fellow wasn't as old as he's first thought.

"Take it. It won't kill you."

Sasuke took the pen and tried a few scribbles on a blank page. I worked. "..Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Most people think being down on your luck is catching."

Sasuke summoned a tight-lipped smile. "I'm already down on my luck."

A pair of sharp eyes looked him up and down, taking in his polished wingtips, neatly pressed suit and designer tie. "Well, it's all in how you look at things, isn't it?"

"It isn't always about money." Wanting to change the subject, Sasuke gestured at the man's tattered fatigues. "Were you in the military?"

"Yeah, the army. Did a few tours in the Middle East." The man extended a gloved hand. "The name's Hatake Kakashi."

"Uchiha Sasuke." He reached out and shook Kakashi's hand. "Do you mind my asking what it was like? Over there, I mean."

Kakashi thought for a few minutes. "Long days in the heat, with nothing to do but count flies, then defending the base against insurgents. Watching my teammates die…" His eyes took on a faraway look.

Sasuke tried to imagine being in this man's shoes. He couldn't. Suddenly his lousy job and distant, disapproving father didn't seem so bad after all.

"What happened when you came home?"

"What home? A friend let me sleep on his coach while I looked for a job. At first I went out every day, but it was always the same story. Times are tough. We're cutting back. Leave your number. Finally I gave up. I'd wait until my buddy left in the morning, then I'd close the blinds and drink myself to oblivion. When I started waking up at night screaming, I wore out my welcome. Now I come here most days. At night I sleep in the subway. I put my life on the line and then I come back home to nothing. That's what I come home to, nothing."

Ideas started popping in Sasuke's head. Tired of writing filler stories about local politics and athletics, he saw potential for a human interest story that would garner a lot of sympathy. He'd call it _Homeless Heroes_ and Kakashi would be the face behind the story. With little luck, the notoriety would get the vets some much deserved help.

"I write for the newspapers, and I'll like to interview you for an article. Would you be interested? I'd pay you of course."

"I guess that would be okay."

"How can I get in touch with you, Kakashi?"

"If the weather's good, you can find me right here."

They sealed the arrangement with a handshake.

* * *

**_TBC_**

**_A/c :_**Poor Kakashi =( Sorry for the short chapter. Sasuke and Naruto will definitely meet in the next one. To those who are still following and liking my story even though the pairing is NARUSASU instead of SASUNARU. Thank YOU! Please R & R


	5. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Pairing:** NaruSasu

**Author's Note:** Thank you once again to all who reviewed. It really motivated me to continue this story and update earlier for everyone. Here's the next chapter. Sorry it took a while. Enjoy.

* * *

**/ HUNTED /**

By XLittleMadamX

**Chapter 3**

"Do you want fries with that?" Naruto asked, trying not to gag on the smell of grilled meat, fried onions and burnt coffee. The trash food people sold each other was a far cry from the organic diet he'd been fed at the laboratory.

"Just gimme what I asked for."

Naruto kept his eyes down and took a deep breath. He never could figure out why the fast food chains were so popular. Some humans would eat anything.

"Hey asshole, make that sometime today."

_Seven dollars an hour for this. Fuck it! I should walk the hell out, my days are numbered anyway._

The CEO's at Big Burgers were planning to install touch-screen kiosks to handle the cashier duties, making him and the rest of the coworkers obsolete. It didn't matter. He'd be fired long before the transition. It was only a matter of time before the company figured out he's given them a bogus social security number.

He longed for his old job at the quarry, working outside and only Teuchi to answer to.

"Next."

"Cheer up! It might never happen again."

Naruto froze. The gentle voice sent a shiver along his spine. He looked up from the computer where he'd been punching in orders and made eye contact with a pair of striking onyx colored eyes and it somehow reminded him of his mother.

His heart twisted. The memories were merciless, triggered by a kind look, or a sympathetic word, striking at odd times, usually when he was least prepared for it.

But the bad memories surfaced as well. He'd left the old life behind him, but he was still held prisomer by the years of abuse and conditioning. If only he could forget. . .

"Burger and fries."

Naruto's lips drew tight in a soundless snarl. It was the suit, the same guy who'd been in every day this week. He always sat at the same table, watching every move Naruto made. Nobody came here in a suit. If this man was a PI, he needed a new line of work.

The smile on his customer's face faltered. "Is there a problem?"

Naruto snorted. _If you only knew.._

"No problem. That'll be four seventy eight." Naruto reached for the ten in the man's hand. The brush of the stranger's fingers against his set off shock waves and he pulled his hand away as if he'd been burned on the grill, which he had been, many times. His hands were constantly covered with Band-Aids so no one would notice how quickly he healed.

He'd never reacted like this before, not to anyone. Of course, for years, the sex suppressants had put a lid on his libido. After his escape, he'd awakened in somebody's barn with his first real morning wood in years, and realized the drugs hadn't left any residual effects. Rediscovering the joy of jacking-off gave him sexual release. He couldn't afford to let anyone close ; hell, he wouldn't know what to do with someone else.

Hitchhiking across the country taught him a lot he hadn't learn from books and computers. He'd met a lot of truck drivers, worked a lot of odd jobs, and learned how to take care of himself. He had to, because for the first time in his life, nobody told him when to eat, when to sleep, when to pee. Being his own master felt good, damn good, except when he got lonely.

All his life, he'd lived in solitude and thought he was immune to feeling lonely. Yet now he felt more cut off than ever.

It was sobering to look around and realize that although he was surrounded by people, not one of them was like him. He often thought about the others, the ones he left behind.

Not the scientists or the guards or even his father but the others like him. He worried about them, his motherless brothers. What happened to them? What happened to Gaara?

He'd never know for sure. He couldn't afford a TV so he spent his free time in the library and a helpful librarian had taught him how to use the computers.

He'd checked the archives for back issues of the newspapers but he'd only found a small item about a gas explosion at a military facility in the Midwest. Could it have been the laboratory? He'd never know for sure. The experiments were all cloak and dagger, classified top secret.

He hoped all the others escaped, saved themselves and managed to make a new life the way he had. It might not be much of a life, but at least he was free and he'd never go back. If that meant hiding and being constantly on the move, so be it. If it meant dying . . . well, that was all right, too. Better than going back there.

His customer's order came out and he slid the tray across the counter.

The man offered an uncertain smile. "Thanks."

Naruto's lips parted with surprise, and then smiled back. "You're welcome."

The man responded with a devastating grin that set Naruto's pulse racing. His cock wanted to stand up and crow. Something about this guy just got under his skin.

He tamped down his feelings. In his world thinking like that could get him killed. He couldn't let his guard down for even a second.

But damn, his customer was beautiful. It couldn't hurt to look. This guy could inspire some seriously wet dreams. Despite the harsh treatment he'd received at the hands of men, it was always the image of a faceless, but definitely hard, masculine body, that gotten him off when he masturbated. Females just didn't attract him physically.

Up until six months, the only woman he'd been around was his mother. He'd met a few women while travelling, the ones who weren't afraid to pick up a hitch-hiker or hire him to do odd jobs around the house. A few had even hinted they wouldn't mind getting to know him better, but he kept them all in arm's length.

Caught up in his thoughts, he forgot the customer's change and had to call him back. "Wait."

The man turned, easing his weight from one foot to another, and cocked an eyebrow. Nauto's gaze shifted below the belt and his breath caught at the way the raven haired man filled out his slacks. The man was maybe five-ten and slender, but the bulge at his crotch revealed a good-sized package and had Naruto licking his lips and wondering what might have inspired the impressive erection.

The customer cleared his throat and Naruto looked up, his face flaming with heat.

"Uh… You forgot your change."

"Keep it." Those eyes radiated a message that took Naruto's breath away, before the man turned, running a hand through his unruly hair.

Naruto imagined the raven strands of hair leaning over him and he knew those luscious lips would feel so much better than dimly-remembered kisses from his mother.

His jeans were becoming uncomfortably tight. He reached down and adjusted them as he watched the stranger's retreating back and fine ass. Slipping into a chair, the customer unwrapped his burger and took a bite. Naruto couldn't take his eyes off the man's mouth. Chewing had never looked so sexy before.

"Hey buddy, I only get a half hour for lunch." A sharp sarcastic voice interrupted Naruto's drooling inspection and he tore his gaze away and got back to work. It took a real effort not to look at the raven-haired man every chance he got. His eyes kept straying to the table in the center of the room, and every time they did, those incredible onyx eyes were staring right back at him.

Finally, the man flashed a lop-sided grin across the room, and nodded toward the door, as if to say, _meet me outside_. Naruto's heart skipped a beat and he looked away pretending he hadn't seen him. Was this guy putting him on? Or flirting? With him?

He had no clue and he didn't want one. He didn't dare want anything like that.

Friends and lovers were not in his future. He had no business bringing anyone into a life fraught with peril. He was a wanted man. He had no idea if his father had died in the fire, but if the old man was still alive, he would move heaven and earth to get Naruto back.

His creations, especially the flawed prototypes like Naruto, were not meant to be walking around in the general population. He could only imagine the price on his head. Bounty hunters were probably combing the country looking for him.

His customer could be one of them, acting all nice and friendly just to gain his confidence. Why else would the man be in here every day? And if Naruto were stupid enough to take the bait, he'd walk right into a trap.

Yeah, it was time to move on. This would be his last shift in Big Burgers.

* * *

Sasuke was still hungry when he walked out of the restaurant. He'd barely forced down half of his greasy burger, and only so he'd have an excuse to take up a table.

Big-Burgers had to be the filthiest fast food joint around, maybe in the country. The customers were pigs and the management didn't seem to pay for cleanup. Discarded bags and burger wrappers always littered the tables and squashed chips crunched underfoot.

He sighed. _The things I do for lust_. Still it had to be fate that brought him in contact with the most attractive man he'd met in a long time.

A few days ago, he'd been in the park looking for Kakashi, but it started raining and he took cover in Big Burgers. The hot guy behind the counter was a complete surprise. That man could perk up anyone's spirits . . . and maybe a few other things as well. The blonde God was a powerful incentive to eat at the greasy spoon. And when the rain continued through the week, Sasuke found himself going back to ogle the man.

Every time he'd glanced up at the cashier, blue eyes stared back at him. He could drown in those eyes. And the muscles under the Big Burgers shirt had to be unbelievable. The rest of the man's body was hidden behind the counter, but he had no doubt the view below the waist would be every bit as delectable as what he saw above.

Why was he working in a fast food joint? Surely, he could get a better job. Hell, he could be on the cover of a magazine. Sasuke had to know this guy's story.

This guy walked a narrow line between handsome and rough, and Sasuke found the combination extremely sexy. This rough around the edges diamond made him want to throw good sense right out the window. But rough always got into trouble. Did he want to go there again? With this guy?

Yes.

Unfortunately, the object of his desire didn't seem interested in making a connection. Shy? Or not into guys? Unless he was badly mistaken, he'd bet on shy.

He could have stared at the cashier all day, but duty called. He still had a job to worry about, and there was always tomorrow.

The sun was out and uncomfortably warm, so Sasuke removed the jacket and slung it over his shoulder. Hoping to touch base with Kakashi on his way back, he decided to walk through the park.

* * *

**TBC**


End file.
